We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Renee Neideigh a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Renee , thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I spend a great deal of time around animals, and I do not believe because I occupy a human body that I am separate from nature or somehow superior to other living beings or creatures. Unaffected by societal views and ego, animals make sense to me because they are real. Our society at times can feel overwhelmingly superficial and materialistic, and it is easy to lose sight of what really matters. Working with animals encourages me to simplify my thoughts and teaches me that life is more about finding joy in the little things, because doing more and having more does not necessarily lead to happiness. For me, feeling safe, keeping my inner circle small, and doing what makes me happy feels like the ultimate form of success.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a former oncology veterinary technician specialist and my career in veterinary medicine spanned nearly two decades. Exceedingly toxic and stressful, the emotionally taxing and physically demanding profession drained my empathetic soul into oblivion – and I was hanging on by a thread. In twenty-nineteen, I planted seeds of intention and the universe responded with an unequivocal answer. Revealed to me in a dream, my breakout path was disclosed and Day With Renee was born. While I watched veterinary medicine fade away in the rearview mirror, my business blossomed. And I never looked back.

Day With Renee offers dog walking and overnight care for animal companions in Seattle, Washington. As a Fear Free® Certified Professional, I care deeply about the emotional and physical well-being of the animals that I care for, and this is why I utilize positive reinforcement methods that have been scientifically proven to be effective. This includes not advocating for or using correction collars such as prong collars, choke chains, or shock collars. Force-free handling also strengthens the bond that I share with the pet while providing a foundation of trust. Animals are not objects – and they have emotions – much like us. A part of my purpose in life and business is to help educate the public on animal welfare issues while also speaking out about abusive systems towards humans.

Seattle is a sanctuary for pet guardians and according to census data has more dogs than children, so I have not had any issues attracting clients whose values are in alignment with mine and the services that I provide. As a deeply feeling soul, the best way I have found to form human connection and secure trust has been by allowing myself to be vulnerable while being my most authentic self. Because we cannot cater to everyone and not every client will be a good fit for us. And that is okay.

Intuitively seeking a more deeply connected life, I am learning and evolving through my own transformative healing journey. Inner work has encouraged me to show up better not only for myself but for the people around me. As an avid photographer and writer who has a deep appreciation of the arts, I struggle with imposter syndrome but I make sure to carve out creative time for myself everyday, because to feel is to be real. Fearlessly shining a bright light on my shadow parts – I am delighted to lift the veil and unearth my flawed, yet sensitive self.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

According to Oxford Languages, resiliency is “the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties.”

I grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a conservative, rural area with a large Amish community, and since the first grade I have known that I am attracted to both boys and girls. It is who I am. Around the time that I was in third or fourth grade, my aunt started dating women and I vividly remember listening closely to what the adults around me had to say in response to the big news. They called it a “lifestyle choice,” and said her poor decision destroyed her family, and there would be consequences for her abominable actions. She was “bad” and being gay was “wrong.” I was not allowed to spend much time with her after that, which felt weird to me. Being different obviously was not okay, so I learned to keep the truth to myself. I learned to keep a lot of things to myself.

As a child, I was not aware of what was considered normal or not, so when I was mistreated at home and bullied at school, I felt confused and overwhelmingly scared, but I did not know any different. I thought love was supposed to coexist with abuse – so I blamed myself – and thought that I was just sensitive and needed to grow thicker skin. By the time I entered sixth grade, I was using drugs and alcohol to numb the pain, which heavily progressed in high school and college. Life never seemed to get any easier, dysfunction just became more familiar.

In my early thirties, I was broke and in debt but I got on a plane, and fled to Seattle. I quickly learned that my destructive patterns were no longer going to serve me, or anyone else. Eventually, I began therapy and finally felt safe enough to speak my truth. So in the end, I saved myself, but I often wonder what my life would have been like had I grown up only having to thrive, not just survive.

I know the profound effect homophobia can have on someone, especially when the hatred comes from family or religion. Now, as a thriving business owner, I stand proudly in my truth and am the very definition of resilient. However, for me and many others, resilience is actually a survival skill, not an attribute. Building resiliency may not have been a choice for me, but the wisdom that has come from it has definitely been a gift in disguise. Because on the other side of fear, it all becomes clear—hate has no place here.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My veterinary background was crucial in helping me build my reputation within the Seattle pet sitting industry, and I also reached out to other locally established pet care businesses to form connections and let them know more about me. Through my Instagram page, I highlight my values and bond with other like-minded people, which continues to be a valuable source of support for me. I was also asked to be on a podcast not long after starting my business and I graciously accepted. Thankfully, the majority of my client’s are happy with my services and a large part of my business success is because of word of mouth. However, I am a firm believer that our reputation is predominately built upon the foundation of our character. For this reason, I do my best to be as transparent as possible so I attract the right kind of people. At the end of the day, I am least concerned about my reputation and more focused on who I am as a person.

For the first time since I started my business almost five years ago, I recently received a one star Google review and have learned just how thankless this job can sometimes be. Emotional discomfort is not a foreign feeling for me – so I sat with it – processed it – and released it. Because the way that we behave when we are hurt reveals a lot about us. The truth is, I am not a five star rating and I am okay with that, because I am not perfect. But I am real.

It turns out that a negative review ended up being a vital teaching on how reputation can sometimes be highly subjective.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.daywithrenee.com
• Instagram: daywithrenee

Image Credits
All photos were taken by me except the first feature photo with me and the three dogs – that is Anita Nowacka Photography.